NUM statement on the upcoming Cosatu nationwide strike

The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) is looking forward to a maximum participation at the next week’s (September 27) nationwide strike called by the Congress of South African Trade Union (Cosatu).

The recently held COSATU Central Executive Committee has resolved that all affiliated trade unions under the federation need to embark on a national strike following the Section 77 Notice on State capture and corruption that was submitted to NEDLAC on 17th July 2017.

As the NUM, we are ready to participate in the nationwide strike and we wish to emphasize that the strike should all also be used as a platform for workers, in general, to voice out their displeasure on how this country is run and that the looting of state resources and corrupt activities should be condemned in its totality.

We want to state it categorically that because of this continued culture of looting of the country’s resources by a network of certain predatory elite, workers are being left out in the cold to fend for themselves in a midst of massive retrenchments taking place in various sectors of the country's economy, in particular, the mining sector. The NUM members at Eskom are still against the possible closure of five power stations to accommodate Independent Power Producers (IPPs). The NUM members are calling on the government to completely reverse the decision to close down the five power stations because it will lead to massive retrenchments.

The NUM is calling upon all its members in all 11 regions to participate in the upcoming nationwide strike of Cosatu next week on the 27th of September 2017.